Falling Down
by yatasu
Summary: Jess has a mission, saving her family and planet from the evil Aquarians, who appears to have a new plan-a new power source. Will she and her friends, old and new, be able to stop them and save the Universe? Sequel to "The Princess of Songia".
1. You Have Powers?

**Chapter One: You Have Powers?**

"Hey Sonic? What does it feel like to go really really _really_ fast?" Jess asked.

"Uh…well the nice breeze in your hair, the way things just speed past you…wait, why?"

"Hm. Just asking."

It's been only a week since "The Pillow Fight of the Century" and about a month after the almost-battle with Deep Sea and his fellow minions. The end of Planet Mobius was delayed; saved by the heroes of the planet…along with their new friend Kristen, and their not-so-new-but-recent friend, Jess. Her formal name is Princess Jessica Maria Russo; yep that's right, _Princess._ Jess is the princess of Planet Songia, but was captured by the evil Aquarians but escaped. She was forced to betray her new friends, but helped save their planet with a special song…

"Hey Jess! Do you have time to test your powers?" Tails asked.

"Wait a sec…she has powers?" Knuckles questioned. Jess cleared her throat in a way of trying to catch attention.

"Um…yea…I do have powers…do you have a problem with that?" Jess retorted. "And yes Tails, I am free." She added sweetly, completely changing her tone. Knuckles huffed.

"I heard that huff."

"I don't care."

"I bet you do care when I tell you what I got…" Jess said in a sing-song voice, taunting Knuckles. He growled, but then smirked.

"I do not care what you got and I bet it won't even humiliate me." Knuckles rolled his eyes while telling her that, but he was surprised at the evil grin on the Princess's face.

"Wait…wha'cha got…there?" The red echidna asked pointing to a certain video tape in Jess's hands.

"Nothing…you don't wanna know…oh and Tails! Where should we test?"

"In your backyard is good. Luckily I brought my equipment with me." Tails smiled as he revealed a small notepad and a pencil. Jess nodded, also grinning. She got up from the creamy couch that she was sitting on and went to the backyard. Tails, Knuckles, Sonic, Kristen, Dagger, and Spike followed. Shadow came along also, appearing uninterested while deep inside he was curious.

"Ok Tails, what should I do?"

"Um…"

"I should help her first, Tails!" Knuckles smirked.

"Uh, sure, just don't throw--"

Knuckles dug a large rock from the ground and threw it towards Jess.

"—rocks." Tails finished.

"Hey, wait!" Jess yelled as she ducked. Knuckles kept throwing rocks at her.

"Stop--" She ducked again. A boulder almost hit her head.

"Hey I could've gotten a concussion from that!" She yelled. A small pebble hit her forehead.

"Ok, that's it!" She raised her arms and the rocks stopped in midair.

"Uhh…wait Jess, WAIT!" Knuckles yelled, a sweatdrop appearing on his forehead.

"Hpmh. Run while you can." Jess smiled and with a swift movement, she sent the rocks back toward Knuckles.

"AHHHHHH!!" he screamed while running around. No matter how many turns and curves he made, the rocks kept on following him.

"…So what's next, Tails?" Jess asked innocently.

"Umm…maybe we should take a break now…"


	2. Hello, New People! :D

**Chapter Two: Hello, New People! :D**

Jess walked happily home from hours of shopping at the mall. She had bought hundreds of bags, mostly clothes and cute decorations for her home. Some things are for her lovely friends, and a "sorry" gift to Knuckles for sending those rocks toward him which repeatedly hit him over and over again on the head. Jess wasn't sure if he would be the same ever again, but when he announced that he was going back to protect the Master Emerald, everybody rolled their eyes and knew that he was the same Knuckles. But Jess was pretty sure that he'll never forgive her for that stunt so she bought a present for him. Honestly, she had no idea what he liked, but she bought him a Rubix Cube to keep him busy so that he won't be bored, and most importantly, yell at her.

"Mwahahaha!" She laughed evilly. "I'm a genius!" She grinned widely while Mobians who were walking past her stared at her like she's crazy. "Pshhh…people never know what's going on." She rolled her eyes.

Strangely, the only being that was walking alone apart from her was a black hedgehog that looked similar to Shadow, but his steaks are sky blue. His eyes are yellow and his attire is casual. He also have a sword on his back.

"Hi!" Jess greeted him happily. The black hedgehog looked up. "I'm Jess! What's your name?" She asked.

"Trey…" He responded.

"Awesome name!" She smiled. "And awesome sword! And awesome streaks! You know I have a friend that has red streaks? He's usually quiet and _mysterious_! And…yea…" Jess rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm rambling again…"

Trey laughed. "Nice to meet you too." He smiled. Jess grinned.

"Oh, oh! I have an idea!" Jess exclaimed. "I'll introduce you to my friends! They're all so nice and friendly and awesome!" She smiled.

"Sure…you sure do like the word 'awesome' do you?'

"Yep!"

"And so hyper…" Trey added quietly. Jess didn't hear his last comment.

Snow began to fall as Jess skipped, her shopping bags jumping. Trey followed her, walking calmly.

"Oh my gosh! SNOW!" She yelled. She spun in a circle, looking up at the sky.

Trey smiled. "It's expected. Since it's December, snow usually falls."

"Well, duh!" Jess said. "I _love_ snow!" She spun again happily and stuck out her tongue at the hedgehog. A single snowflake landed neatly onto her tongue. Jess giggled. Suddenly, something hit her in the back. "What in the world?" She spun around to see Trey smirking, throwing a snowball up and down. "Why _you_!" Jess exclaimed angrily. "I thought you were my _friend_!" She whined.

Trey smiled and threw the snowball at her. It hit her in the face.

"Oh no you didn't."

"Oh yes I did."

"A fight you want? A fight you get!" Jess laughed evilly again. Trey raised his eyebrows but before he can react, a snowball hit his face.

"I _never_ back away from a battle!"

"I call no attacks or weapons apart from snowballs!" Jess yelled. Trey grunted while shoving his sword back into its case. He threw snow at her. Jess dodged it, but another snowball hit her. "Ugh!"

**And this continued for quite a while…**

**Funny how fun fights start out like this, huh? Pillows, now snow, what next? XD**

**But YAY snow! :D**

**Ok, back to the story…**

Jess giggled as she opened the door, Trey following her. He threw a spare snowball at her and she exclaimed, "I thought we finished this!" She glanced into the living room and dropped her bags, which was not dirtied, much to her surprise. And sitting in her living room are her friends.

"Hey guys! Meet Trey the hedgehog!"


	3. Trey Meets Sonic

**Chapter Three: Trey Meets Sonic**

_Recap:_

"_Hey guys! Meet Trey the hedgehog!"_

"You!" Trey yelled.

"_You_!" Sonic shouted right back.

"Hey! Wh-what's going on?" Jess asked, but the two hedgehogs had already run outside to fight. Punches and grunts can be heard. "Um…" She trailed off.

"I'll go stop them." Shadow told her and ran outside to the garden. After a few growls, the three hedgehogs walked back into the house.

"What was that all about?" Kristen asked.

"I have no idea." Dagger said.

"You show off!" Trey yelled at the blue hero.

"You green-fur hater!" Sonic shot right back.

"'Green-fur hater'?" Jess, Dagger, Spike, and Kristen asked, confused. Trey growled and jumped at Sonic. Sonic dodged and Trey hit the wall, knocking a picture off the wall. He prepared to hit Sonic but Shadow stood in between the hedgehogs.

"Enough." He stated. Trey and Sonic growled at each other, glaring, but otherwise didn't move.

"_Really_?" Jess exclaimed sarcastically. "You just _had_ to fight in my house, my garden, and I don't even know how much damage it took!" She said. "My poor daisies…" She sniffed, wiping away an invisible tear and broke into laughter.

"She is so random…" Trey said.

"And for once, I agree with you." Sonic said. Jess stopped laughing and rolled her eyes.

"And I didn't even say anything to you guys for breaking into my house." She said, staring sternly at Sonic, Shadow, Spike, Dagger, and Kristen.

"Sorry…" The hedgehogs muttered.

"Good. Now tell me what this is about?"

"Well we met quite a while ago—" Sonic started.

"—And we totally hated each other." Trey finished, glaring at the blue hedgehog. Sonic shrugged.

"Ah?" Jess confirmed, raising her eyebrows at the seemingly immaturity of the two hedgehogs.

* * *

Meanwhile, a dark red hedgehog walked on the isolated sidewalk that was usually full of people. But because of the sudden snowstorm, everybody retired to their homes. He walked silently, shuffling the snow with his shoes. The solitary hedgehog strolled silently, his hands in his short pockets. He stared at an empty pizzeria and his stomach growled slightly.

"Boy, do I miss pizza! Too bad I have no money on me…" He said sadly. The hedgehog glanced around his surroundings. He had entered a neighborhood covered in white. "Perhaps I should stay somewhere…it's going to be freezing in that forest!"


	4. Announcing the Christmas Party Part One

**Chapter Four: Announcing the Christmas Party Part One**

Jess smiled happily, hanging her new Christmas decorations around her house. She made Trey and Sonic agree that they will try to be friends, or they would be given the "Knuckles Treatment". Sonic shivered and Trey had a confused expression upon his face so Jess told him the incident that happened a few days ago. Trey looked almost terrified and the two hedgehogs quickly agreed to Jess's demand ruefully.

Jess danced to the door and hung a wreath on it. She opened the door and hung another wreath on the other side and smiled at her handiwork. She prepared to close the door when she saw a lonely figure walking on the sidewalk. He had no coat on. Jess wondered if she can make yet another friend. Like her mother said, she should so that she won't be so alone. The princess smiled and grabbed a white coat. She ran outside into the cold and to the hedgehog.

"Hi there!" She greeted him.

"Uh…hi?" The hedgehog said, puzzled at the girl's friendly greeting. She smiled.

"You must be freezing out here without a coat!" Jess exclaimed. "You're welcome to my house—I just finished baking some cookies!"

"No thank you." He thanked and started to walk away.

"I insist!"

"Thank you for the offer, but I really have to get going."

"C'mon! I have oatmeal, chocolate chip, peanut butter…" Jess stopped when she saw his ears twitch at the words 'peanut butter'. She grinned slyly.

"And the pizza's going to arrive very soon…" She said, smiling. No one can resist the tastiness of pizza!

"Pizza…" The hedgehog whispered with delight. His stomach growled. Jess giggled as she pulled him into her home.

"By the way…what's your name?" The hedgehog asked, nibbling on a peanut butter cookie.

"My name is Jessica, but call me Jess." She answered, taking an oatmeal cookie. He nodded.

"I'm Axle the hedgehog!"

"Pleased to meet you!" They shook hands.

_Ding Dong_! Rang the door.

"I'll get it! It must be the pizza!" Jess exclaimed, getting up to open the door. Axle drooled a little at the smell of fresh pizza, but wiped it away.

"C'mon!" Jess exclaimed, placing the pizza in the dining room.

"Don't have to tell me twice."

"I didn't even tell you twice."

Axle ignored her comment as he swallowed three pieces at once.

"Umm…hungry?"

He nodded, chewing.

"Oh."

Not even after five minutes, the whole pizza pie had disappeared. Jess gazed in amazement at Axle who was licking his fingers.

"I'm just going to dump this cardboard box while you go and wash your hands." She demanded. The dark red hedgehog nodded and went to the sink to wash his hands in the kitchen.

"So…why were you wandering around in the cold?" Jess asked.

"Why were you jumping into the cold to invite me to the house?" He asked back.

"I asked you first!" She said, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Just…reasons. You?" He asked again, grinning.

"Just because you were shivering."

"I was not!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No no no no no no no no no no no no no! HAH! Beat that!" Axle said in triumph.

"You are so annoying sometimes."


	5. Announcing the Christmas Party Part Two

**Chapter Five: Announcing the Christmas Party Part Two**

"You promised Jess that you won't fight again!" Shadow yelled at the two panting hedgehogs.

"He was making me mad!" Trey yelled.

"He was making me madder!" Sonic retorted with a beat-that smirk.

"Show-off was making me madder than madder!"

"Green-fur hater was making me madder than madder than madder!"

"Stop!" Shadow yelled again. "Stop being immature! You don't want Jess to use the Knuckles Treatment on you two, right?"

The three hedgehogs shuddered. "No…" Sonic and Trey muttered.

"Good. Now just do what you were doing before!" Shadow ordered. Sonic and Trey glanced at each other and started fighting again. "I didn't mean _that_." Shadow sighed.

Jess hummed a happy tune while pasting bright, colorful flyers on the dull poles that announced:

**C****h****r****i****s****t****m****a****s ****P****a****r****t****y****!**

**Place: **At Jess's house

**Time: **5 pm to 1 am

ON CHRISTMAS!

**Having: **Cookies, cake, and other treats! (yum yum!)

And a Lovely Feast for Dinner! (Dessert included)

**Activities:**

~ Pin a Tail on a Random Male Hedgehog

~ Christmas Scavenger Hunt

~ Honey I Love You

~ Truth or Dare

~Karaoke

~ Watching Fireworks at Midnight

~ Free Presents and Gifts!

~…And other stuff that may randomly come into mind.

**Don't Miss the Biggest Holiday Party of the Year!**

**(Warning: Do not come if your first name starts with 'Dr.' and last name is 'Eggman'.)**

"You really out did yourself, Jess." She said to herself in satisfaction. "You really had. Oh my gosh it's going to be _so_ much fun! I can't wait!" She clapped her hands in excitement and ran to the next pole to put up another flyer.


	6. Getting Ready

**Chapter Six: Getting Ready**

"Hm…let's try again." Jess said, closing her eyes in an attempt to be patient.

"Sure!" A red hedgehog said. He held the bottom of his stomach with his hands and started. "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"No, no, Flare!" Jess said for the hundredth time. "You have to take a deep breath and say the phase in a low voice!"

"OK, let's try again." Flare said calmly. Jess covered her face with both hands. "HO HO HO!"

"Finally!" She said in relief as she lifted her head. "I'm so glad that Sonic introduced you to me! It's cool that you're his brother!"

"Heh heh…thanks?" Flare thanked, his phrase coming out as a question.

"No prob! And you will be the one who is going to greet the guests!"

"Huh? Out in the cold?"

"No…out in the winter wonderland of snow!" Jess exclaimed, putting an innocent smile on her face. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Nope, I'll be glad to!" Flare agreed happily.

"Thanks so much, Flare!" Jess giggled, and she hugged her friend.

"You're welcome!" The hedgehog smiled.

"OK, so come back here at four so we can get ready for the party!" She said, smiling, leading Flare towards the door.

"See ya!" He shouted, running away.

"OK…now let's just start putting stuff up!" Jess said to herself, closing the door. "I only have 3 hours left before the party…enough time to finish decorating and deciding what to wear!"

**Fifteen Minutes Later…**

"Oh, come on!" Jess shouted angrily. She was trying to hang up some tinsel around the living room when she suddenly tripped and accidently wrapped herself with the decoration. Now she's literally stuck. "Evil tinsel!" She sighed deeply. "It just _had_ to happen _now_?" She pulled at the tinsel, but it didn't untangle. "Help." She squeaked to no one in particular.

"Honey, are you alright?" A voice asked outside a window. Jess looked at the window and was surprised to see Rouge.

"Rouge! Yes! I mean no! I'm not alright!" Jess yelled. "Come in and help me, please!"

"Alright, but I don't have a key." The bat stated.

"A key…?" She looked at the doorknob, which indicated that the door is indeed locked. "Man! Uh…do you have a bobby pin?" She asked desperately.

"Nope. Sorry!" Rouge said.

"Oh. Then it's OK. I can handle this myself." Jess said, but when she looked back to the window, Rouge was gone. The princess groaned. "What was I thinking?"

**Half an Hour Later…**

"Finally!" Jess yelled in relief as she wriggled herself out of the tinsel. She shook her head in embarrassment of herself. "I was stuck for forty-five minutes…I need to decorate faster!" She changed into one of her forms. Her pink dress turned into a light pink and green dress and wings grew on her back, allowing her to fly. She flapped her wings lightly. Jess lifted off from the ground gently and she grabbed some of the evil tinsel and hung it up on the hooks on the walls.

**An Hour Later…**

Jess sighed in satisfaction as she looked at her handiwork. Everything seemed to sparkle in response. Tinsel, garlands, wreaths, and bells were almost perfectly in place. Her Christmas tree that she had put up a few days ago was looking great, and her treats are placed on the dining table, just waiting to be eaten. Jess looked at the clock on the wall. It is 3:45 at this time.

"Perfect!" Jess exclaimed. "Let's see…Flare the Santa Claus is going to be here at 4, getting ready to put his costume on…and that leaves me 15 minutes to get ready! Better hurry!" She dashed up the stairs.

**14 Minutes Later…**

Jess walks down the stairs, dressed in a bright red dress. It has white fur on the hems of the skirt and the sleeves. A white ribbon is wrapped around the waist and ended in a bow in the back. The dress has a hood, and white pom-poms are on the front of the outfit. She is also wearing white ballet slippers and a silver and red headband. The doorbell rang and she ran to get it. Flare was outside with his leather jacket.

"You look great, Jess!" He complimented.

"Thanks Flare! And you will too when you're dressed in _your_ outfit!" She said, dragging the red hedgehog into her house.


	7. Welcome and Pin the Tail

**Chapter Seven: Welcome and Pin the Tail**

Flare walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a Santa outfit, hat included.

"Awesome, Flare!" Jess exclaimed. "You ready to welcome the guests?"

"Why can't Eggman do this part?" Flare wondered.

"Because he's going to drive everybody away! Yes, I know that he's going to be a great Santa, but he's a bad guy…despite the fact that he helped us a while ago."

"Oh, I know about that! Sonic told me all about it! That's so cool, how you defeated the Aquarians!"

"…Flattery gets you nowhere, Flare, but thanks!" Jess grinned. "You're still Santa!" She added, pushing him to the door.

"OK, OK, I can walk!"

Flare opened the door and stepped into the cold.

"Hmm…not as bad as I expected…this Santa costume is really warm!" Jess's front door suddenly shut behind him. "What? Wait! I'll freeze to death!" He yelled, banging on the door. After a few minutes he gave up. "Great." He folded his arms across his chest, waiting for some people.

The street was completely empty, except for the snowball that rolled across the road. Flare sighed.

"_Really_?" He said to the sky.

Jess hummed happily to her favorite song as she prepared wiped a small stain off a tablecloth. She can hear Flare's muffled yells outside her door; she supposed that he was greeting or talking to the guests. Jess sighed cheerfully.

"Ho ho ho!" She barely heard Flare say. "Welcome to the Christmas Party!" He opened the door and in came Amy, Cream, and Cheese.

"Hey, guys! I mean girls!" Jess said.

"Hi Jess! Cool, we're the first guests here!" Amy said gleefully. She is dressed in a dress that is similar to her usual wear, except the white stripe across the hem of her dress is now green; she's wearing a green headband and red and green furred boots. And across her neck is a green Christmas tree necklace. Cream is wearing a yellow dress with stars and Cheese's red bow is replaced by a red and green bow.

"You girls look great!" Jess complimented.

"Thank you." Cream said softly, her eyes twinkling. "May we…"

"Sure! Help yourselves!" Jess allowed, pointing to the banquet tables filled with sweets.

"Chao!" Cheese thanked, flying towards the tables. The girls giggled.

"HO HO HO!" They heard Flare say.

"Ah, more guests!" Jess said.

"Why did you put Flare as Santa Claus anyway?" Amy asked. Jess shrugged.

"I couldn't get Eggman." She stated simply. Amy chuckled.

**Half an Hour Later…**

"Where in the world is Sonic?!" Amy asked frantically to Jess.

All their friends had arrived…all except for Sonic.

"Here!" He yelled, skidding through the door, followed by "Can I come in now?" from Flare.

"Sure!" Jess yelled back, and the red hedgehog gladly walked back into the warmth. He shut the door, but the doorbell rung. Flare opened the door again, and in stepped an echidna and a cat.

"Wow, it's so pretty here!" said the cat.

"Thank you!" Jess thanked, appearing behind Flare. "I'm Jess, what's your name?"

"I'm Aqua." said the cat.

"And my name is Sandy!" smiled the echidna. "We're sisters!"

"Well, welcome, Aqua and Sandy! Merry Christmas! I really hope you'll have fun here!"

"Do you have any sweets here?" asked the seven year old echidna.

"Um, yea…" But Jess was cut off by Sandy running to the tables at full speed. She giggled and Aqua joined in.

"She _really_ likes sweets." Aqua said.

Jess nodded. "I noticed."

After a few minutes, everybody was introduced to the newcomers and they all became close friends instantly.

"Hey, did anybody see a coral colored hedgehog?" Jess suddenly asked.

"No, why?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, she's supposed to be here…"

"You met _another_ friend?" Knuckles asked, disbelieving her.

"Yes…do you have a problem?" Jess stared at him, daring him to say yes.

"Uh…no, no! I'm just…uh…happy that you made so many friends!" The red echidna said nervously. Aqua silently giggled.

"Good…I didn't think that you want another incident." She coughed. "_Knuckles Treatment_." She coughed again. Everybody burst into laughter, except their new friends.

"What do you mean?" Sandy asked, curious. While Spike and Dagger explained to the two sisters, the doorbell rung. Jess ran up to it, and already knew who it was, she threw open the door.

"Coral!" She yelled happily. "Come in! You must be _freezing_ in that cold air! And Merry Christmas!" Jess went outside and pushed Coral in.

"Thank you." The hedgehog said in a soft voice. The hedgehog is sitting on a wheelchair, and being gently pushed into the room by Jess. Coral's eyes twinkled as she viewed the decorations and the company.

"Hello there!" Kristen welcomed. "I'm Kristen! And you must be Coral!"

"Hello, Kristen! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"I have a feeling that we'll be best friends! Oh let me introduce you to everybody while Jess," She looked at her. "Will announce the event."

"Sure!" Jess nodded and grabbed a microphone. She ran up to the small stage she set up for later activities.

"Hey everybody!" She said. "Now that everybody is here, let's start our first event! The first is…" She looked at a list. "Pin a Tail on a Random Male Hedgehog!" She yelled in one breath. Everybody who isn't a male hedgehog shouted and cheered and reached for a tail from a bowl.

"Hey, hey! Wait!!" Sonic yelled desperately trying to run away from Amy, who was holding a tail.

"RUN!" Shadow yelled, while running away himself from Kristen, Tails, and Rouge.

"AHH!" Spike yelled, dodging Dagger.

"Oh, I'm so glad I'm not a boy!" She exclaimed, giggling.

"NO, NO! Please Dagger, _please_!"

"This! Is! Terrifying!" Flare shouted, running in circles. He was being chased by Sandy, who almost got him until Axle pulled him out of the circle.

"You said it!" Axle yelled back.

"Back off!" Trey yelled at Knuckles as the echidna attempted to pin a tail on him. Trey took out his sword. "Don't come near me!" Little did he know, Aqua snuck up behind him and pinned a tail upon him. "Ouch!" He yelped silently.

Aqua giggled, smiled at Knuckles, and ran off to get another tail.

Jess laughed, gazing at the sight of running male hedgehogs being chased.

"Uh, I think I now know how Sonic feels!" Spike shouted, followed be a "Hey!" from Amy.

Coral giggled along with Jess. They both decided to sit this event out to avoid the havoc occurring.


	8. Christmas Scavenger Hunt Part One

**Chapter Eight: Christmas Scavenger Hunt Part One**

"I'll never go through that again." Spike muttered, rubbing his behind.

"Oh, lighten up, Spike!" Dagger said. "It was fun, and you know it!"

"Fun to you all." Shadow murmured. "I feel sorry for the wounded." He pointed to the hedgehogs that were pinned.

"I feel sorry for my behind." Sonic added. Everybody laughed, apart from the 'wounded' of course.

"Uh…OK then! Next is…a Christmas Scavenger Hunt!" Jess said.

"This'll be easy." Rouge said.

"Not if I find it all first!" Knuckles shouted.

"It's a challenge." Rouge said, shaking hands with Knuckles.

"Rules! No going upstairs! And that's pretty much it. Oh and don't stick your hands into the punch and food." Jess warned.

"What? There's something there?" Trey asked.

"No…just a warning! Here's the list of stuff you need to get! The first person who found everything will get a prize!" Jess handed out pieces of paper to everybody.

Shadow looked at his list.

**Christmas Scavenger Hunt**

~ Festive Utensil

~ Silver 'Ding Dongs'

~ Edible Golden Hook

~ Angel with the Wrong Halo

~ What happened to Rudolph?

~ Bird of Peace

~ Do Not Open Until the Wrong Holiday

~ Kiss Under the Mistletoe

~ Frosty the Snowman in May

~ Reindeer Replaced

~ Is this a Christmas Card?

~ Burnt Sweet

~ St. Nick's New Outfit

FINAL ITEM:

Dancer dances when he needs to go to this room.

Find the box under the perfume!

Shadow sighed. He was planning to use Chaos Control to get all the items on the list quickly, but who knew that she was putting all the items as clues.

"NOO!" Sandy yelled, reading the list. "Burnt Sweet…"

Aqua played along. "…So…cruel!" She said, and burst out laughing. Everybody laughed weakly with her, but then concentrated on their lists. Shadow decided to find the easiest item on the list: 'Bird of Peace'. Everybody seemed to choose to find that item also, and they all split up to find it.


	9. Christmas Scavenger Hunt Part Two

**Chapter Nine: Christmas Scavenger Hunt Part Two**

_Where is that dove?_ Kristen thought to herself. The only thing that everybody knows is that Jess could've hidden it anywhere, in a present, under a hidden crack in the floor. It could even be as tiny as a pin! Kristen decided to look for it near the tree. Perhaps it's some kind of decoration?

As the hedgehog ran up to the Christmas tree, she spotted Sonic looking at the tree also.

"Hey Sonic." Kristen said, looking at the tree.

"Umm…hi." He answered, a little blush appearing on his cheeks. Kristen didn't notice it and continued to search through the tree, looking back at her list every few seconds. She detected something, glancing at the list, then at the tree, and the list again.

"You found something?" Sonic asked, curious.

"N-nothing!" Kristen said quickly, sticking out her tongue.

"C'mon! I promise I won't steal it!" Sonic pleaded. Kristen rolled her eyes.

"On the list, it says 'Is this a Christmas Card?", and look at that card there!" She pointed at a piece of paper folded in half. On it says, 'Happy Easter!'. Kristen grabbed it and put it in a bag she got to put her items in.

"Nice detective work!" Sonic said, winking. Kristen smiled warmly.

"Thanks!" She said while checking it off on the list. "But I better ask Coral if this is the right thing…" She added.

"So…um…don't you think the clue 'Kiss Under the Mistletoe' seems…I don't know, odd?" Sonic asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"Yea, I noticed that too. I wonder what it means." She speculated out loud.

Shadow wandered off. He figured that he should move on with the rest of the items than concentrating on one clue. His eyes focused on "Kiss Under the Mistletoe" and wondered what it meant. He looked up and saw a piece of mistletoe above him. _Maybe the item is here somewhere…_ He thought.

"Hello, you must be Shadow the Hedgehog." Said a shy voice. Shadow looked for the source of the voice. It was Coral. Shadow nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Coral." She smiled. Shadow smiled also, which is unusual.

"You found anything?" She asked. Shadow shook his head, but couldn't help but glance upward to the mistletoe. Coral noticed it and looked up, curious, and then blushed. Shadow looked down towards the hedgehog and perceived the faint blush on Coral's cheeks.

"I—I…uh…" Shadow flushed slightly.

"I doubt that's what Jess meant in the list…" Coral said, looking down.

"Coral!" Shouted Kristen from the tree. Coral looked up.

"Yes?"

"Can you come over here to make sure if this is the right thing?" She asked, shaking a bag.

"Sure!" Coral agreed, and started wheeling away from Shadow but not before whispering, "I'll see you later…Shadow…"

The black hedgehog snapped out of his reverie and rushed towards her. "Let me help you."

"No thank you. I'm fine."

Shadow didn't say anything, and started to push Coral towards Kristen and Sonic.

"Look at the two lovebirds…" Sonic said.

"We are _not_ lovebirds!" Shadow hissed.

"Yea right." The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes.

"Thanks so much." Coral whispered to Kristen as they got away from the two hedgehogs. Coral confirmed that the Easter Card is most likely the mystery item.

"Why?" Kristen asked, confused.

"Um…nothing!"


	10. Christmas Scavenger Hunt Part Three

**Chapter Ten: Christmas Scavenger Hunt Part Three**

Meanwhile, not so far from the neighborhood of the Christmas party, a figure appeared, slowly gaining mass from the mist. He sniffed the air and grinned with satisfaction.

"Ah. I smell happiness." Deep Sea smiled evilly. "The princess must be near. Aquarians?"

A group of water figures came up from the ground, absorbing the water and life from the grass, leaving it brown and withered.

"Yes, Master?" They breathed, their heads bowed down.

"Disguise yourselves and follow the child. Capture her, before she knows of my plan." And with a swish of his cloak, the Aquarian leader vanished and left a faint chuckle.

"Festive utensil…festive utensil…" Dagger whispered as she searched on a shelf. She suddenly touched something wooden and round. She grabbed it and looked at it carefully. It turned out to be a pencil with tiny Santa Clauses printed on it. "Hmm…festive utensil…festive _writing_ utensil!" The green hedgehog giggled. "Now that I found it, it's hard to believe that it was a little hard to find it in the first place!"

In the meantime, Spike has also found a festive utensil. He had been searching through the kitchen cupboards when he found a spoon with a plastic tree on it. "Whoop! Found it!" He yelled gleefully while putting it in his pocket along with his other collected items.

Rouge grinned slyly as she searched for the next object. She had already found 'Silver Ding Dongs', 'Bird of Peace', 'Festive Utensil', and 'Kiss Under the Mistletoe'. She found the last one after Coral and Shadow left; they have been in such an awkward moment that they didn't notice the bowl of kisses near them. Right now, she's looking for a 'Burnt Sweet', which is the marshmallow. However, the bat is kind of confused if the marshmallow has to be normal or really burnt. Rouge made her mind and got two marshmallows from the bowl and stuck one to her 'festive utensil' (which was a fork) and stuck it into the fireplace. And waited. And waited. She's totally beating Knuckles now. He'll regret doubting her in the first place.

**OK, I'm just going to stop right here and just move on with it…so forty-five minutes later!**

"OK, time's up!" Yelled Jess. A few groans were heard, but everybody gathered near the small stage. "OK…so who found everything?" She asked. Rouge, Trey, Knuckles, Sandy, Aqua, and Dagger raised their hands. "OK, give me your bags with all your stuff." Jess said, and she received the six bags. "Just stay here and talk or something. Do _not_ follow me." She looked at them sternly with a faint smile and left to another room.

**5 minutes later…**

"OK!" Jess yelled, appearing out of nowhere. "You all…got everything! Congrats!"

"YES!" Knuckles and Rouge yelled, and they looked at each other, glaring.

"Well, well, I guess you two are tied." Shadow stated the obvious. The two stared at him like he is crazy, and got back to quarrelling.

"Well!" Jess said, grinning nervously. "Why don't we…go on to dinner! I prepared it specially!" The echidna and bat stopped fighting.

"I don't think I trust Jess's cooking." Knuckles said.

"If you don't want it, you don't have to eat it." Jess said, her nose up high in a stubborn way. "I made the treats too, and I saw you stuffing your face with brownies a few minutes ago."

"Umm…heh heh…" Knuckles sweatdropped.

"I'm glad that you see it my way." Jess said, with her eyes closed while nodding her head. "OK, let's go!" She gestured towards the dining room. Everybody ran towards the room. Name tags are placed on the table, indicating the seats that they will take. Plates and eating utensils are already placed. In the middle of the long table, a floral centerpiece of seven carnations, flower jewels, small glass ball ornaments, and wires that winded around the centerpiece. It is delicately placed under the glass chandelier.

Sonic's eyes bugged out and took a sharp intake of breath. His seat is in between Kristen's and Amy's.

"Sit! I'll go get the appetizer!" Jess said, going into the kitchen.

"Mind if Cheese and I help?" Cream asked sweetly.

"I don't mind!" She allowed. The rabbit smiled as she walked into the kitchen, her chao hovering beside her.

"You can bring this dish out, Cream, and Cheese you can help bring the crackers out to the dining room." Jess instructed, handing them each a plate. The helpers both nodded, and brought out the appetizer—Holiday Cranberry Chutney.

"Wow, looks delicious, Jess!" Kristen said, eyeing the appetizer.

"Thanks, Kristen!" Jess smiled happily, placing a bowl of it on one side of the table. Cheese and Cream also brought out some cream cheese, and placed it beside each bowl of cranberries.

"Oh my gosh, it's so sweet!" Sandy exclaimed cheerfully, her mouth full of cranberries.

"Don't get a sugar rush, Sandy." Aqua said worriedly. "You really shouldn't eat that much, or you would be too full for the main course!"

"Aw, don't worry, sis!" Sandy said. "You worry too much. Just try it, and I bet you wouldn't be able to stop eating it." The young echidna said, scooping some appetizer onto a cracker and quickly eating it. Aqua sighed, and gasped with pleasure as she took a bite.

"It's delicious!" She said, taking another bite.

"Told ya."

"Wow, I'm going to like this more than pizza!" Spike said, helping himself to another cracker.

"Not possible, mate, not possible." Axle said. Spike gave a playful glare at him.

"No one asked you." Spike retorted. Axle grinned.

"I know."

**After Main Course and Dessert:**

"Ugh. I'm full." Sonic said, patting his stomach.

"Same…" Flare said sleepily. Coral, Kristen, Dagger, and Amy giggled at the two hedgehogs' faces. Shadow finished the last of his pudding and silently sighed with pleasure.

"Does anyone else hear that?" Coral asked nervously, glancing around.

"Chao?"

"What?" Jess asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No, why?" Trey asked.

"I don't know, I thought I heard—" But Coral was interrupted by a loud scream.


	11. New Friends, Old Enemies Part One

**Chapter Eleven: New Friends, Old Enemies**

The group ran outside the house to see snow falling. They frantically looked around them to see who has caused or made the scream, but nothing can be seen. Jess bent down to get some of the snow.

"Is it sleet?" Coral asked once Jess has straightened up.

"I call it 'mush'." Jess replied, dropping the 'mush'.

"Rain and snow…" Trey muttered.

"Wow, how did you guess?" Axle said sarcastically.

"I don't think it is rain…" Shadow said, touching the sleet.

"What is it then?" Spike questioned. Shadow brought the sleet up to his noise.

"It has a strange scent…" He answered. "Do you know what it is? It has a burning feeling." Shadow gave it to Spike. The green hedgehog sniffed it. He coughed.

"It's almost like vinegar!" He managed to exclaim.

"I KNEW IT!" Yelled Sandy, grinning widely and then she looked at the faces of her friends. "Sorry…" She apologized. "Sugar rush…heh heh ^_^'" Aqua sighed.

"I knew you had too much of that appetizer and dessert." She scolded.

"Sorry, Sis." Sandy said.

"Anyway, do you guys see anyone out here?" Trey asked, glancing around.

"It's not supposed to snow, not to mention that the snow practically burns your nose. Doesn't this all seem suspicious?" Dagger reasoned. "And it's Christmas, why would someone scream?"

"Ooohhh…murder scene!" Kristen said. Cream shuddered and cuddled Cheese to her chest.

"I hope not." The little rabbit murmured, shivering.

"Me neither." Said Sonic. More snow fell, and before they knew it, a blizzard of snow stung their faces.

"Ah great. Now our faces smell like vinegar." Rouge complained.

"And taste like it." Jess stated. They all looked at her.

"You didn't go licking unknown substances, did you?" Flare asked, quivering from the cold.

"Uhhh…sort of?" The others face palmed at her answer. "It actually tastes like vinegar, but it has this…I dunno…this sweet taste to it. Kind of like the spice that grows on my planet." Jess froze.

"You don't think…?" Amy said with a tint of worry in her voice.

"I'm afraid so." Jess said with her head down.

"What?" Flare asked.

"Who?" Trey questioned.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Axle asked, impatient.

"Only a few months ago, a group called the Aquarians invaded my planet, Songia." Jess explained.

"Oh. This story." Flare said.

Shadow nodded. "We believe it is the Aquarians that caused that scream. I wonder who did they capture or something."

Tails zipped a bag with a sample of the snow. "What do you know about this 'spice', Jess?" He asked.

"Um…let's see…well it gives a mysterious taste to foods…the spice's name is _Mephitis Venefirous_, which means 'Bad odor poison'."

"Wait. 'Bad odor poison'?!" Spike exclaimed.

"You just ate it!" Kristen shouted.

"Oh, it's not poison to me. You see, all inhabitants of Songia are immune to this spice, allowing them to eat it." Jess explained.

"So…it's still poisonous?" Axle asked.

"Yep." She confirmed. Axle quickly dropped the ball of snow onto the ground.

"What happens if you got poisoned?" Shadow asked.

"Well, first nothing will happen for the first few days. But then you start to feel dizzy and literally slow down."

"Oh no!" Sonic shouted.

"Oh and the cure for it is _Aureus Caulos_, Golden Stem."

"Phew." Kristen said. "And you find this…"

"On my planet."

"Aw great! Now what will happen to us?" Rouge yelled. "I don't want to become a sloth all my life!"

"Don't worry! This whole process takes thirty days. I guess the Aquarians doesn't want the Mobians to die, they have a more specific target—you all." Jess said.

"So…we get dragged into this." Knuckles said, sighing.

"At least it would make Sonic run slower." Aqua semi-giggled.

"Hey! That is not funny!" Sonic retorted. He then ran to Jess and hugged her knee. "PLEASE make the cure! I CANNOT live like this!!" Our blue hero sniffled.

"Now you feel our pain?" Knuckles rolled his eyes. Jess giggled.

"Aw, don't worry! I packed some just in case of emergencies!"

"YES!" Sonic shouted. "When will it be done?"

"Um…you won't like this but…three weeks." Sonic let go of Jess's leg and bumped his head against the ground.

"I'll suffer…for three…weeks…" He said with difficulty.

Suddenly, the same scream sounded. Sonic stopped hitting himself and looked up.

"Come on!" He got up and jogged in place. "Let's hurry before I lose my speed!" The blue hedgehog then sped off towards where the scream seemed to come from.

"He will forever cherish these three weeks…" Jess shook her head and ran after him. The others followed suit.


	12. New Friends, Old Enemies Part Two

**Chapter Twelve: New Friends, Old Enemies (Part Two)**

Sonic glanced behind him. The others had not yet caught up with him, but the blue hedgehog could see Shadow, Axle, and Spike running behind him. Shadow boosted his speed until he was beside Sonic.

"I wonder what they are up do." Shadow said coolly, keeping pace with Sonic. Sonic grinned.

"Let's find out!" He said as he sped off, Shadow and the others following.

**Meanwhile…**

Three figures are in the middle of ten Aquarians that are closing in on them. Mobians were running away, screaming, in the scenery.

"You better leave these people alone!" The light brown hedgehog/bat/husky yelled with fury raging in her eyes.

"Or else what?" One of the Aquarians sneered.

"Or else…I'll…"

"Just go Saya!" yelled the black hedgehog.

"I'll stall them!" shouted the white and black hedgehog-bat.

"No way would I just leave you guys! You're my friends!" Flashes of memories of her planet Oceana being taken over clouded her vision. This situation was almost the same and caused Saya to remember her fear.

"Alright then! We'll fight them off together!" exclaimed Macin, the hedgehog-bat. He turned invisible and jumped towards one of the Aquarians. It started swiping randomly, trying to hit Macin but failing miserably.

"Let's do it." Saya said and Vaper, the black hedgehog, nodded. Saya extended her wings and jumped high into the air while shooting flames at the water beasts. The fire didn't have much effect on them, but after a few attacks, the Aquarian evaporated. On the other hand, Vaper used his powers to immobilize a couple of the Aquarians. They struggled, and evaporated with the ones Saya handled. Macin stayed invisible and confused the water creatures and striking at the right time. Soon, the ten Aquarians were no more.

Suddenly, a voice laughed. "You think we can be beaten so easily?" A large Aquarian rose up from the ground along with thirty more. "We _will_ rule this planet." The huge water beast grinned. "Now that we have—" A shorter Aquarian nudged it and whispered something into its ear. The large Aquarian—the leader perhaps—nodded. "Well, enough of this." It said, trying to cover up his mistake. "We're going to take this town first, and you three would be our first prisoners! Deep Sea would be so proud of me—I mean us—and give high ranks for sure!" The other water creatures nodded in excitement and then glared at the three. Saya, Macin, and Vaper readied themselves into a fighting position.

Just as the Aquarians jumped to attack, a blue blur knocked them down. It was a blue hedgehog—Sonic!

"Good thing we didn't miss the bonus party!" He said with a chuckle. A black hedgehog appeared next to him and rolled his eyes. Axle and Spike gathered where the blue and black hedgehogs stood.

"Heh, let's get this party started!" Spike exclaimed with Axle nodding in agreement.


	13. Christmas Battle Part One

**Chapter Thirteen: Christmas Battle (Part One)**

The ten Aquarians seemed to omit a satisfied aura when they saw the four hedgehogs in a fighting stance. They appeared to be happy to see the four hedgehogs appear, for whatever reason it is.

"Hey!" Vaper yelled at the four hedgehogs that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Who are you? Never mind that—we were going to take care of them! We can defeat them easy!" Macin face-palmed and Saya sighed. She put a hand on Vaper's shoulder and shook her head.

"Let them handle it." The black hedgehog groaned and mumbled, "Fine. Whatever."

"We'll leave it to you guys!" Saya said, running off to the 'sidelines', she and Macin dragging Vaper along with them. Shadow nodded in thanks.

"Alright! Let's get this party startin'!" Sonic said, spin dashing into an Aquarian. The creature collapsed into a puddle of harmless water. Spike took out his katana and struck an Aquarian while Axle and Shadow used Chaos Spear. The ten Aquarians were demolished easily by the four hedgehogs, leaving splashes of water around them.

"That was quick." Spike said, not quite believing how little effort it took to win that small battle. Usually, the Aquarians, no matter how much there are, would show off some fancy smanshy water tricks, but tonight's seemed sort of weak.

"Huh. Not much of a party to me." Axle added. "Ordinarily they would put up more than a fight than that…but whatever. At least we got that over with. You three alright?" He asked to Macin, Saya, and Vaper. They all nodded.

"I have a feeling that this isn't over yet. Don't you think that was too easy? The others didn't even catch up yet and we're finished." Shadow said, frowning. "I wonder what their real purpose is. The Aquarians can play dirty tricks sometimes."

"I agree with you, Shadow, but it looks like there's nothing else here. I guess this part of town is safe." Sonic stated. "It seems quiet now…too quiet…"

"Don't say that! Every time someone says that, something bad always happen!" Spike said, annoyed.

"Hey, don't you think this is like a movie sort of thing? In movies, the villains always distract the strongest fighters and attack somewhere else, or target other people." Axle shrugged. The others looked at him. "What?"

"You think we got tricked and the Aquarians are attacking…" Spike gasped. "…the others?!"

"That must be it!" Vaper suddenly shouted. Now everybody's attention turned to him. "Well, you said that there are more of you coming, but none of them are here…and that seems like the most reasonable explanation." The black hedgehog said, scratching his neck awkwardly.

"Well, it does seem like the most sensible reason." Macin agreed. Saya nodded. Shadow, Sonic, Axle, and Spike looked at each other.

"Oh crud." Spike said. "I told you not to say it, Sonic!"


	14. Christmas Battle Part Two

**Chapter Fourteen: Christmas Battle (Part Two)**

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang was still running to where the four hedgehogs had disappeared to. The 'snow' crunched slightly where their feet hit it, and instantly it turned to water. The group stopped sprinting in surprise and looked back at their tracks.

"The snow just melted!" Tails said in astonishment.

"Totally expected from _Mephitis Venefirous_." Jess sighed. "It looks like the Aquarians had stolen the spice from my planet and had combined it with water. And that seems like it's their specialty."

"Stealing?" Kristen asked.

"No, I was going to say combining things with water, but stealing works."

"And that is correct, Princess." A voice called out.

"What? Stealing and merging things with water is your specialty?" Jess asked, turning around to face the source of the voice. However, as she turned, everything around them was covered with heavy mist. The only thing they could see was themselves—almost like a spotlight on them. The voice laughed.

"Ah, I suppose so."

"Where are you?" Trey asked. "Show yourself!" The voice chuckled, but ignored Trey's command.

"What are your motives for slowing us down with this poison?" Aqua asked.

"And making us practically blind?" Sandy added.

"Great. Now I'm going to be a blind sloth." Rouge muttered to herself.

"Yes, it is true that we had used _Mephitis Venefirous_ for slowing you all down and then we shall attack. That way, you won't be in our way. Especially that little blue rat." The voice replied, not hearing Rouge's complaining.

"What are you planning to do?" Dagger asked.

"That is for us to know, and you to never find out!" The voice yelled and from the mist walked out about fifty Aquarians. They were surrounded by the water creatures, which looked like they were ready to fight.

"Chao! Chao!" whispered Cheese. Cream held her friend tightly.

"Don't worry, Cream and Cheese. We'll be just fine. I'm sure that Sonic and the others would be here any second." Coral reassured them, but she clenched the handle of her wheelchair and wished desperately for Shadow.

"Oh, little lady, I'm sure that that is not going to happen. Those little pests are occupied." The voice sneered.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Kristen asked.

"Let's just say we put up a trap."

Suddenly, nets came out of nowhere, flying all over the place. And one by one, the friends got captured.

"Help!" Dagger shouted, but no one answered. As they got dragged to the Aquarians' base, the mist slowly disappeared, leaving scrambled footprints in the snow.

Sonic, Shadow, Axle, and Spike were too late.


End file.
